About

$3,253

pledged of $1,500 goal

65

backers

Stretch Goal Update: Can we get to $3200? Wow!

We have blown our first goal out of the water, and ALREADY hit our first stretch goal! Our backers are AMAZING!!

Now, we're aiming for our SECOND stretch goal: to publish a SECOND anthology in 2014! Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey was such a hit with our writers--and readers--we want to publish a "Volume 2." This will be a true sample of the talent in our Writers' Group. And the funds raised will help us bring the book to new professional levels!

Our next goal is $2450. This helps us lay the foundation for publishing another book; paying the folks behind the scenes, covers the initial book order, and puts us a step up in the publishing/marketing space for this bonus book.

Our "Dream Goal" is $3200. This means we can pay our authors for their submissions! Woohoo!

New Rewards!!

Our backers are awesome! Thanks SO MUCH!! To reach our stretch goals, we're introducing some new rewards as well as adding BONUS rewards to those of you who have already pledged!

FIRST: Everyone who pledged $10 or more will get the second collection as an eBook as well! Yay!

SECOND: There is a NEW $15 reward: Your choice of a trade paperback of EITHER book we publish in 2014! (But if you still prefer eBooks, you get all three eBooks!)

THIRD: Everyone who pledged $25 and up gets the second collection in trade paperback form as well!!! Two books for the same pledge. Can't beat it!!

Any questions, feel free to post them in the Comments section! Please note two things:

1) New rewards go into effect IF we meet the second stretch goal of $2450;

2) We can't actually change any rewards on Kickstarter at this point, but we're so excited, we're totally good for it! (And we know our writers won't let us forget!) The new $15 level has been added.

Thanks everyone! See you at $3200???? :D

The Call for Submissions is now open for our Kickstarter backers; send us a pledge and get a sneak peek. :)

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In 2012, the South Jersey Writers' Group published our first anthology, Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey. It was a labor of love and little money (so far), but it's highly entertaining and showcases the diversity of our writers. Tall Tales features:

A four-foot-tall outlaw that rides a three-legged pony in Joseph Arechavala's western comedy "Destiny in Dusty Springfield."

Santa causing a small boy an unsanitary horror in a mall restroom in John Farquhar's "Bad Day for Santa"

A woman learning about her biological father--and finding him, twenty years later, in "The Feathered Messenger" by Shelley Szajner

Marie Gilbert frantically managing her virtual dependents and dealing with a lost Webkin in "Where are you Zeppie?"

And lots more, from all walks of life and all genres of writing. It turned out to be a neat little book, and for being such a hyper-local
focus, sales are going really well and there is a lot of interest in
the literary community of South Jersey. (Yes, there is a literary
community in South Jersey, and it's awesome!)

Now we're planning the next one, taking the lessons learned and building on success. The 2014 Anthology will feature longer, more intricate stories, aligned along a theme or within a genre. With the support of our Kickstarter backers, we'll be able to pay the authors and designers for their talents and skills.

Since we know a large number of our backers will be writers, some of our rewards are geared towards writers. Published, semi-published, collecting rejection letters, or just starting out, the rewards can help you move your writing career forward.

But we have some for the lovers of writers too, like these tote bags:

(If you donate $50 or more, you can pick one! And you get a signed trade paperback version too!) Full reward details are to the left; any questions, feel free to ask!

We have a few stretch goals in mind, involving getting even more creative author’s works out there. But we can’t stretch until we meet our goals. Don't forget to share this page!

Thanks to all of our friends and family who have helped us with Tall Tales; who let us write when the dishes need to be done and the car needs to be washed; who buy our books and spread the word about how great we are. We couldn’t do it without you!

Risks and challenges

The biggest challenge, I HOPE will be to read all the hundreds of submissions we get... ! But we'll recruit more people for the selection committee, and if need be, the book publication could be pushed back a bit. Based on the timeframe from the last anthology and accounting for more submissions, there should still be plenty of time to accomplish everything along the proposed timeline by May 2014.

With the rewards involving manuscript reviews or the launch of a marketing plan, the estimated completion time for each is 8 weeks. I can work on one of these at a time, so please keep an eye out for an email requesting information. The sooner we get started with these, the better!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

Trade paperback copy of the anthology and a beautifully designed custom thank you card, signed by the authors. You'll also get eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

"Author's Special"

We'll list your name and website in the acknowledgements of the book. And if you choose, our Steampunk Granny, Marie Gilbert, will interview you on the South Jersey Writers' Group blog. And we'll put the power of our group to work to launch a blog tour for one of your books! Also Included: Trade paperback copy of the 2014 anthology; a beautiful thank you card, signed by the authors; eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Your trade paperback version of the 2014 anthology will be signed by all authors! We'll throw in a trade paperback version of Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey too. You also get a custom tote bag--one of the two shown at left (you pick!)

You'll also get the "Author's Special" package above (if desired); a beautifully designed custom thank you card, signed by the authors; and eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

Go down in infamy or soar to glorious heights as a character named after you (or anyone you like) in the 2014 Anthology.

You'll also get your choice of a custom tote bag; signed copy of the 2014 collection; the "Author's Special" package above (if desired); a beautifully designed custom thank you card, signed by the authors; and eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

You get to contribute a vote towards the final selection of the stories in the anthology. After the selection committee has narrowed the selections down to 20, you may join the committee and cast your vote for the top 10. (Must be able to download PDF files.) OR, If you'd rather not be on the selection committee, $100 donation will earn you an extra submission of a story for consideration.

You'll also get your choice of a custom tote bag; signed copy of the 2014 collection; the "Author's Special" package above (if desired); a beautifully designed custom thank you card, signed by the authors; and eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

Marketing Jumpstart Package for writers! Editor Amy Hollinger will create a basic blog and website, and work with you to start your marketing program and build a following. We'll have several conversations about the kind of brand you want to build, and then set it up and hand the controls over to you. Designed for authors but could work for other artists too. Delivery date depends on the number of backers; the sooner we start the better!

You'll also get your choice of a custom tote bag; signed copy of the 2014 collection; the "Author's Special" package above (if desired); a beautifully designed custom thank you card, signed by the authors; and eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Manuscript review and edit or proofread of a full-length manuscript of your choosing by the editor, Amy Hollinger. Delivery time will be within 8 weeks of receiving the manuscript. All manuscripts must be submitted by December 31, 2014.

You'll also get your choice of a custom tote bag; signed copy of the 2014 collection; the "Author's Special" package above (if desired); a beautifully designed custom thank you card, signed by the authors; and eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

Manuscript Review and Marketing Jumpstart packages above, PLUS a query letter for any manuscript you choose, a synopsis of the story and a list of 10 agents in your manuscript's genre. Turnaround time is within 8 weeks of submission; all manuscripts must be received ready-to-send by March 31, 2015.

You'll also get your choice of a custom tote bag; signed copy of the 2014 collection; the "Author's Special" package above (if desired); a beautifully designed custom thank you card, signed by the authors; and eBook downloads of both this collection and Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.